# Using game theory in primates to study the distributed neuronal and time-casual underpinnings of interactive social behavior

> **NIH NIH R01** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2021 · $409,750

## Abstract

Using game theory in primates to study the distributed neuronal and time-
causal underpinnings of interactive social behavior
Despite the importance of joint interactive social behavior and its broad involvement in many
neurocognitive disorders, its single-neuronal basis, population-level encoding and time-causal
underpinnings are still largely unknown. A major part of this limitation has come from our inability to
ask such questions in humans. Game theory, and the iterated Prisoner's Dilemma (iPD) game in
particular, provides a well-studied platform for investigating and dissociating the multi-dimensional
encoding of interactive social decisions. Here, we will build on recent innovations by our group with dual
interacting primate-pairs, neural population recording and deep brain stimulation (DBS) in order to
systematically investigate the basic neuronal building blocks of interactive social behavior. In
preliminary studies performed by our groups, we have already identified some of the key neuronal
computations underlying joint social decisions. We have also established important behavioral validation
measures, social context controls and cross-pair confirmations for the primate model. In this study, we
will investigate, for the first time, the involvement of three principal areas theorized to comprise the
“social brain” in distributively encoding and modulating distinct aspects of interactive social behavior.
These areas include the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, anterior intraparietal area and the basolateral
amygdala. We will specifically examine the single-neuronal and population encoding of self vs. other
agency, joint interaction, social context and agent identity. We will test how these representations are
modulated by social cues and examine the targeted modulation of the different areas by both standard and
event-triggered DBS. Overall, this proposal represents a completely new line of investigation that is not
possible to conduct in humans, and opens up an important unexplored area in neuroscience. The
proposed set of studies will provide the first comprehensive roadmap of the primate “social brain” at the
neuronal and population level, and offer critical guidance for future targeted treatments of social
behavioral disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10197791
- **Project number:** 5R01MH112846-05
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Ziv Williams
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $409,750
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10197791

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10197791, Using game theory in primates to study the distributed neuronal and time-casual underpinnings of interactive social behavior (5R01MH112846-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10197791. Licensed CC0.

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